- Family - Son of a wagon
maker
- Education - Well educated at
a Jesuit school in Quebec
- Career - Canadian Explorer
- Famous for : exploring the
Great Lakes area and discovering the Mississippi River
Facts, Timeline & History
about the life of Louis Joliet - Canadian Explorer The following are additional facts
and a timeline about the life and history of Louis Joliet:
- 1645 September 21:Louis
Joliet was born in Quebec, Canada
- Louis Joliet was the son
of a wagon maker
- Louis Joliet was well
educated at a Jesuit school in Quebec but had an adventurous spirit
and wanted to explore
- Louis Joliet started his
life as a fur trader with the Native Indians
- 1669 - 1671: Louis
Joliet then tries his hand at copper mining
- 1672 October: Louis
Joliet was commissioned by the French Governor of Quebec, Louis de
Buade Frontenac (1620-1698), to join Father Jacques Marquette, a
Jesuit priest, in an expedition exploring the Mississippi River
- Joliet and Marquette
make preparations for their expedition
- 1673 May: A seven man
expedition including Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet set
off in birch bark canoes to the north shore of Lake Michigan to
Green Bay, then up the Fox River
- 1673 June: Louis Joliet
and his party reach the Mississippi
- Louis Joliet
explored the Mississippi, meeting different Indian tribes
- The expedition
eventually realised that Mississippi River did not lead to the
Pacific Ocean but flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
- Father Jacques Marquette
drew a map of the country through which they passed and kept a diary
of the voyage of exploration
- The expedition were
warned of hostile Indians ahead and there was also the possibility
of being captured by the Spanish - so the party decided to turn back
towards Quebec
- 1674: The expedition
led by Louis Joliet reached Lake Michigan where Father Jacques Marquette remained at the
mission of Saint Francis Xavier at the head of Green Bay
- 1674: Louis Joliet went on to
Quebec
- Louis Joliet had paddled
2500 miles in his exploration of the Mississippi
- 1674 August: Louis
Joliet arrived in Quebec
- Louis Joliet reported
the findings of the exploration of the Mississippi River to Governor
Louis de Buade Frontenac
- Louis Joliet was
consulted in the Governor's plans to colonise the area of the
Mississippi River as an extension of the lands of New France
- 1675 October 7: Louis
Joliet married Claire-Francoise Bissot (1656 - 1710). Louis and
Claire-Francoise had one child, Jean-Baptiste Joliet
- 1680: Louis Joliet was
granted the Island of Anticosti by King Louis XIV of France as a
reward for discovering the Mississippi River
- The Island of Anticosti
was situated right at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and 8,000
square kilometres in size
- Louis Joliet built a
fort on the Island of Anticosti
- 1690: The fort was
captured by the English and his wife was taken prisoner whilst Louis
Joliet was absent on explorations in Labrador and around Hudson Bay
- His wife was released
and the fort was recaptured
- 1693: Louis Joliet was
appointed royal hydrographer
- 1694: Louis Jolliet made
another expedition exploring the coast of Labrador and visiting the
Eskimos
- 1697 30 April: Louis
Joliet was granted the seigniory (territory) of Joliet, south of
Quebec, which is still in the possession of his descendants
- 1700 May: Louis Joliet
died on the Island of Anticosti in Canada
|